The former finance director of a County Durham weekly newspaper has appeared in court accused of a four-year fraud, in abuse of his position of trust.
David Vasey is alleged to have defrauded the Teesdale Mercury by £154,042 over a period between June 2012 and September 2016.
The 63-year-old defendant, formerly of Richmond but now living in Normandy in France, is facing five charges of fraud from the Barnard Castle-based newspaper by abuse of position.
Appearing at a plea hearing at Durham Crown Court, the charges were not put to him following a request by both prosecuting and defence counsel.
Martin Towers, prosecuting, said there has been “extensive” correspondence between him and defence counsel, Chris Knox, in recent days.
He said: “We are very close to a resolution in this case, but we are not quite there yet."
Mr Knox said he was confident the case could be adequately resolved with “acceptable pleas” in the next week.
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But it was agreed that a sentencing hearing could be arranged in the case.
An agreed date for that hearing was pencilled in, in four weeks' time
Judge Graham Robinson said, hopefully, the issue of pleas in the case will be resolved in the next week and he agreed to adjourn for a potential sentence on March 19, bailing the defendant to return for that hearing.
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